


Grouptale- The Seven Fallen Humans

by benedicteggs



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Gen, Humor, Undertale AU, grouptale au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-05-05 10:44:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5372423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benedicteggs/pseuds/benedicteggs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when not only does Frisk fall down, but the other six fallen humans? An Undertale AU where the seven children fall down together and venture through the underground. </p><p>[Based on Pavizi's grouptale AU]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Aqua Heart

Annie awoke on a bed of yellow flowers. Her eyes were fixed overhead, gazing up towards the mountain’s opening.

 

 

 

That’s right. Now she remembered. She was falling.

 

 

 

She sat upright. At once, her hand shot up to her hair, groping at her pony tail. She exhaled relievingly. It was still there. That was good. She took in her surroundings slowly. She seemed to be in a cavern. It was dimly lit, and the patch of flowers she was sitting on seemed to be the only life present.

 

 

 

That is, until she heard breathing.

 

 

 

It was rather loud and obnoxious. It belonged to the kind of person who believed they owned the world’s oxygen reserve. Now on her knees, the girl crawled cautiously towards the source. Another body laid there. It looked like a boy.

As she drew nearer, more memories flooded her disoriented mind. And then, she was running towards the boy, falling on her knees by his side, and her hands were on his shoulders, gently shaking him.


	2. The Orange Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Omar and Annie fell together. 
> 
> I remember this one Tumblr artist's post where it was a whole bus of students who fell and I seriously considered taking it that way.

_Omar!_

 

He was having a nightmare; that’s all it was. He could see his hands, flailing about, desperately trying to grab at empty air. He couldn’t scream. His heart was pushed into his throat, choking him. He was falling, falling, and it was a never ending horror. He couldn’t even see the bottom. He was plummeting at such a fast rate that his eyes were watering too much to make out anything. All of a sudden--

 

Darkness.

He was dead. Yup, this was it.

 

_Omar, wake up! Omar!_

That was God probably telling him to wake get off his lazy ass. Or Satan. That was also reasonable.

 

_Omar, please! Get up! Get up!_

The voice didn’t sound like neither heaven or hell. In fact, it sounded very familiar. He knew that voice.

 

_Omar, come on!_

His eyes fluttered open. Everything was fuzzy. He could sort of make out the girl leaning over him. He blinked again. His vision became clearer, and he could now recognize the one shouting his name.

  
“A-Annie?”

  
The frantic face finally stopped shouting, visibly relaxing. She sat back in relief, allowing Omar to sit up. He groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

  
“Well, that’s one hell of a wakeup call.”

  
“Thank God, I thought you were dead,” Omar twisted his head to look at his friend, ready to crack a joke, but faltered when seeing Annie’s deadpanned expression. Her face was as white as a sheet. She was really shaken up.

  
“Me too, actually. Are you sure we aren’t?” The boy looked Annie up and down and did the same himself. He looked at her again for confirmation. “We fell.”

  
Annie bit her lip and looked up. “We fell. Yeah.”

  
“There is no way we should be alive right now.”

  
She opened her mouth to reply, but it got caught in her throat, as a body fell to the right of the two, just short of crushing them both to death. Too shocked to reply, both heads turned simultaneously to gawk at the fallen human.


	3. The Purple Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the purple heart! Her name's Phoebe.

There were two people staring at her. The girl cringed inwardly, a sudden burst of insecurity filling her. What was it? Her worn, unwashed sweater? Her cloudy, smudged glasses that showed hints of cracking? Her self-cut hair, the way her uneven bangs draped over her eyes?

She was sitting, crisscrossed, fiddling with her notebook. She had answered all their questions; what more did they want from her?

_What’s your name?_ Her name was Phoebe. Her parents called her Phoebs. But that was only her parents. She reminded them it was Phoebe once more. She hadn’t asked for their names, but they told her anyway. Annie and Omar. They fell together, apparently.

_How old are you?_ She was 14. They had called her ‘kid’. They were only two years older.

_How did you get here? Did you fall?_ She was too embarrassed to admit that she didn’t see where she was going and tripped, so she mumbled up a lie about an experiment. Honestly, it was quite interesting. Like the others, she wasn’t sure why she was alive. A fall from that height was impossible to survive. Hastily scribbling down notes, she made an effort to avoid their curious stares.

 

Suddenly, a loud thump pulling her away from her thoughts. A scream followed the thump, and she had to look up.

“That’s interesting…” Standing up, she walked towards the other two and the fallen body that separated them. She realized it was not just one person, but two. Another boy and a girl. The small but persistent rise and fall of their chests indicated they were still alive. That’s good-- if they were dead, the smell would be unbearable.


	4. The Green Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George is a flustered little baby.

George woke up as soon as he fell. The first thing he noticed was the brunette on top of him. And then he was blushing furiously. Oh, she was gorgeous. He meant that in a totally-not-creepy way, of course!

 

The first time he saw her was by the mountain. She was dancing. Ballet. With her delicate steps and her frilly, cute tutu and shoes, he couldn’t help but stop and watch. He wasn’t trying to spy, and he definitely didn’t stalk the girl out there. He was trying to collect berries and roots for his “all-natural” dish. This was going to be his dealbreaker; he was sure of it! This would be his rise to fame. This would get him noticed and hopefully a scholarship to culinary school.

 

Anyway, the bashful boy was about to announce his presence by stepping out and applauding, but to his horror, the girl had stumbled across a rock and fell. At once, he rushed to the edge and peered into the abyss. He heard her cry and found her clutching onto a jutted out branch, just barely hanging on. Getting onto his knees, George offered his hand. It was too short. He looked around, searching desperately for something else for the girl to grab on, but she kept saying _I’m going to fall! Please, please, I’m going to fall!_

 

Without thinking, George got onto his stomach and lowered himself into the mountain’s opening. It was enough. She grabbed his hand. He didn’t have enough leverage. His foot was already almost over the edge. With her weight and his jello arms, they didn’t stand a chance. Not only did dance-girl fall over, but so did the aspiring-culinary artist.

 

Now with the girl on top of him, he wasn’t sure whether to wake her or let her sleep on top of him. She did look comfortable. It’d be rude to wake her, right? Fortunately, she was already stirring, sparing George the decision.


	5. The Blue Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle the Blue Hearted human?

Belle woke up, on top of a body, no less. Right away, she scrambled off, apologizing for the weight. The boy immediately dismissed it, smiling widely.

 

“Hey, no, I remember you!” It was the boy who had tried to help her after her stupid mistake. “Oh my god, I really should apologize! I dragged you down here-- literally-- but thank you!”

 

After helping the boy to his feet, he laughed weakly and waved her apology away. “It was no problem! No problem at all.”

 

Belle beamed and laughed. “You really broke my fall; you saved my life, prince charming!”

 

To which, the boy blushed furiously.

 

“I’m Belle!”

 

“G-George!”

 

“I’m Omar!” The two looked towards the source. It was another boy, who waved slightly, smirking. “And that’s Annie. And that’s Phoebe. Hello! Sorry to interrupt you lovebirds, but we’ve got a slight problem. Just a small one. It’ll only take a second.”

 

Belle and George looked at each other. Then they looked back at the talking boy.

 

“Uh, yeah. So… anyone got ideas on how we’re getting out of here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Sorry the introductions are really short, but I'm planning to really flesh out these characters as they continue. Next chapter will be a break from intros and them talking about how to get the heck outta here and then I'll introduce Frisk as the last fallen human. 
> 
> At first I wanted Chara and Frisk to be twins who fell together, but then I realized the Undertale plot revolved around Chara and Asriel so whoops no Chara


	6. The Yellow Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri, the sixth fallen human, falls down Mt. Ebott.

“Excuse me,” everyone swiveled around to gawk at a boy standing in the corner of the cave, unblinking. They didn’t have a clue when he fell; no one had noticed him, apparently. 

“Hello,” Annie stepped forward to greet the boy, smiling. George gave a friendly wave, and Belle followed suit. “What’s your name?” 

“Yuri,” he replied plainly, extending a hand, offering no other information. Annie shook it, amazed that yet another person fell down. 

Omar just scoffed, still miffed at the sudden appearance. “So, lemme guess, you fell?” 

“No, I was trying to climb down.” 

Omar choked, grinning. “Look out Annie, this one’s sarcastic!” To which, he received an exasperated glare from his friend. 

Yuri blinked, frowning. No, really, he was merely trying to explore. He looked around at the five, wondering if they all fell by accident. It was a strange phenomenon. And what did the loud boy mean by  _ sarcastic _ ? Was it something in his phrasing that made it seem that way? Yuri was never the best at English. 

“A-Anyway, the tunnel?” Phoebe prompted. 

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Belle pumped a fist, her eyes shining with determination. George quietly whimpered, his eyes widening with apprehension. 

“We’re going to check out what’s up with this place,” Annie sighed. “You should come with us!” 

Yuri looked around. He supposed there was no other place to go. He nodded, cracking a smile. “Yes, I will come with you all.” 

Annie beamed. “Great! Let’s go!” 

Yuri followed the group into the darkness, curious to see what would happen. He just realized didn’t ask for their names; he’ll get them later. He was pretty content with his situation-- he always liked a challenge. Yuri was exploring around Mt. Ebott, but he ended up on an adventure greater than merely climbing the mountain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am rEALLY bad at updating?? god damn like when I have no motivation I do nothing at all I'msosorry. 
> 
> So I almost forgot about the yellow soul like whoops- but aanyway, here's Yuri, the traveling foreigner who willingly fell down the mountain. 
> 
> This is a super short chapter, but finally, I'm done with introductions! Now here comes goat mom and the RUINS, and this time, I got a beefy chapter lined up so no worries my fresh homebrahs


	7. Flowey the Flower

“Hey, look, it’s a light!” Green exclaimed happily, running up towards it.

 

“Wait,” Phoebe warned, readjusting her glasses and squinting. “Is that another gold flower?”

 

“Hello!” to everyone’s surprise, the flower not only had a face, but it was _talking_. Green let out a high-pitched squeal, being the closest to the talking creature.

 

“What the hell?” Omar frowned, getting closer to the flower. “Did it--”

 

“Yes,” the golden flower spoke slowly, its tone a little annoyed. “I. Am. A. Flower. My name’s Flowey! Flowey the Flower! It’s nice to meet you all!”

 

“N-Nice to meet you too?” Belle stammered. “Wow! Uh, is there more of you? More talking flowers?”

 

“No, I-- that’s beside the point!” Flowey suddenly snapped, but resumed its light-hearted manner in a heartbeat. “I guess you _humans_ are new to the Underground, aren't cha?”

 

Phoebe frowned. Did it just emphasize the word _human_? The way it said it seemed like humans weren’t a normal occurrence in this place. This was definitely going down in her notebook. Without further ado, she whipped out a fresh new page and started furiously scribbling a sketch of the strange flower.

 

“Can you get us home?” Annie started eagerly, wringing her hands. “We’re lost, and we need to go…” She pointed in the direction helplessly.

 

“Up?” Flowey supplied, its smile stretching. “That’s the Surface! And no one’s been able to get there, not in a hundred years.”

 

Flowey kind of wilted, its petals dropped and it hung its head sadly. But then, it perked up, grinning too forcefully at the children. “But what I _can_ do is show you how stuff works in the Underground! There’s this thing called LOVE, and it’s distributed through tiny, white, friendliness pellets! Yeah!”

 

At the back of the group, Yuri frowned, staring at the talking flower. That didn’t seem right to him at all. What made it even more suspicious was the fact that the flower seemed to be making it up as it goes, trying to convince even itself?

 

“This seems fishy,” Phoebe spoke in a hushed tone, voicing Yuri’s exact opinion. However, no one heard her. She withdrew towards the back of the group, hugging her notebook. Phoebe didn’t trust Flowey at all. Yuri gave her a silent, encouraging nod, and Phoebe shot a thankful glance in his direction, relieved that someone else had the same mindset.

 

“LOVE?” Omar remarked, looking at Annie, smirking. “Seriously, can you believe this thing?”

 

Annie folded her arms across her chest and broke eye contact with Omar. “Poor Omar,” she mocked jokingly, “Even when a little flower offers it, he’s too _tsundere_ for it.”

 

To which, Omar fumed silently at, while Phoebe giggled, understanding the reference.

 

All of a sudden, the flower produced the white pellets, twirling and spinning through the air. There were six of them, one for each person. “Look, make sure you catch them!”

 

The six pellets started floating towards each child, as if destined for them to catch it. George, always happy to receive LOVE, welcomed his pellet with open arms. Belle jumped to get hers, catching it with a satisfied grin. Annie wanted desperately to trust the flower, for it seemed like it knew what it was talking about, so she opened her hand and waited for the pellet to come to her. Although muttering about ‘stupid LOVE’ and ‘who needs this crap?’, Omar followed suit with the three others, running towards it and snatching it out of the air. Unlike the others, Phoebe did not want to touch the pellets. Nevertheless, she was never good at dodging, so she stood in the corner, not wanting to run away from it. Phoebe let it touch her, reassuring herself that it was for science, and what’s the worse that could happen? Yuri, on the other hand, successfully stepped to the side, letting the pellet fade away into nothing, leaving him untouched.

 

Instantly, five children were seen falling to the floor, writhing in agony. Only Yuri was left standing, glaring at the flower. He knew there was no one other to blame. “What did you do to them?”

 

Flowey’s face suddenly morphed into a leery grin, its dark eyes glowering at the still-standing child. “You know what’s going on here, don’t you?”

 

Yuri stared, wondering what the flower was talking about. All he knew was that Flowey was trouble and not to be trusted.

 

“Well,” the golden flower jeered, “if you knew what would happen, why didn’t you warn your friends?”

 

Yuri shook his head wildly, looking at his companions on the floor. They looked to be barely conscious, their features twisted in pain. “N-No! I--”

 

“I get it. You _wanted_ to see them get hurt. You’re just like _me_ ,” Flowey continued taunting, bouncing around. It giggled, and with a demonic voice, it ordered, “Now DIE.”

 

Pellets formed out of nowhere, encircling and trapping the six children. Yuri ran to the closest body, shaking Phoebe. “Please, wake up! The pellets-- it will kill us!”

 

Phoebe only groaned, her glasses askew. She turned to her side, unresponsive to Yuri’s cries. Yuri crawled towards Belle, but it was too late. The pellets were floating closer and closer, until they were barely an inch away from Yuri’s face, and--

 

“Oof!” Yuri heard the golden flower yelp. He jerked his head towards the direction of the voice and found the remains of a flickering flame where Flowey once stood.

 

“Good heavens,” came a new voice, “are you children alright?”  

 

The stranger stepped into the light, appearing before the six children. The only fully conscious one, Yuri, rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things clearly. First, a talking flower, but now, a talking _goat?_ This adventure only got stranger and stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo the ruins chapter is really long and I'm not sure how to split it up but-- 
> 
> here's Flowey as a short chapter!


	8. The RUINS

 

He stared at the goat, dressed in purple and white robes, in awe. “Th-Thank you,” he managed to get out.

The goat looked at him, giving the boy a gentle smile. “That horrible creature always torments poor, new souls. I am just glad I made it here on time.”

Yuri looked at the others, now stirring. He lets out a sigh of relief.

Omar, unlike the first time he was unconscious, was the first to wake. He sat up too quickly, at once keeled over, hugging his stomach. “Urgh, I think I’m gonna hurl.”

George laid on the other side of the room, letting out an irritated cry. He threw his hands up in the air, exclaiming to no one in particular, “Jeez! I really trusted that flower!”

Belle hummed in agreement. “That sucked, I really wanted some LOVE.”

“It should be called DEATH!”

“I’m pretty sure that was the single, worst experience of my entire life.” Annie was now sitting, staring at her palms. “I don’t-- even know what that was??”

Phoebe was standing, trembling slightly. She felt queasy as well, a sickening pit forming in her stomach. She stared at Yuri. “Y-You dodged it. Those pellets. How did Flowey react to that?”

Yuri shook his head, frowning. “It was angry. It laughed at me. I am not sure.”

The goat-looking creature sighed, spreading open her palms. “It seems that I have much to teach you children. I am Toriel, Keeper of the Ruins, and it is a pleasure to meet you all.” She smiled gently at the disoriented group. “Please, follow me.”

And with that, she turned and left through the opening, disappearing into another room. The children exchanged looks, both worried and confused.

“I don’t trust her,” Omar said at once.

“I… think we should give her a chance,” Annie started, unsure.

“After what the stupid flower did? No way!”

“She does seem nice, like a mom.” George mumbled, staring at the opening.

“Yeah, there’s nowhere else to go but forward!” Belle added.

“I’d like to get to know this Toriel,” Phoebe piped up.

“We should get to know her. We should not misjudge her.” declared Yuri, finalizing the group’s opinions. It was one against five. The overwhelming majority made the decision to continue onward, besides their aching selves.

The six entered the next room, delighted to find that it was quite brighter compared to what they had experienced. The brick walls were a dark purple, and there were two marble-white stairs left and right, leading up a level with a door in the middle of it. Toriel stood right of the door, perking up when she saw the six humans enter.

“This way!” the goat ushered, going into yet another mysterious entryway.

The others didn’t respond; they were too busy looking in awe at the place.

“Hey! There’s a light,” Belle ran up to the sparkling glow, curious to see what it was.

“Oh no, be careful!” George warned, but failed to stop Belle. Without hesitation, she cupped the light into her hands. At once, the children gasped, a strange sensation pounding against their chest. They felt many things. Most of all, they felt very determined.

“Hey, I don’t feel like puking anymore,” Omar grinned.

Belle laughed, feeling light-headed. “Whoa, I’m not sure what happened, but that felt good.”

Phoebe was now prodding at the light source with the end of her pencil, muttering her theories and questions about what it was. “Very interesting…”

“Let’s keep going!” Belle declared, suddenly feeling very headstrong. She strode right into the next room, followed by George, Yuri, and Omar. Annie turned to leave, but remembered Phoebe was still staring at the twinkling light.

“Are you ready, Phoebe?”

Phoebe nodded, snapping her notebook shut. She ran up the stairs to Annie’s side, still gazing at the light. Oh, how she wished she had brought a camera. Annie smiled and forged on, with Phoebe right behind her.

As before, the Toriel was waiting patiently for their arrival. Once all six were in the room, she continued: “There are many puzzles in the Ruins. Like this one, for instance.”

As the six children silently watched, the goat walked across four platforms and pulled a lever, opening the door. She goes through the door, and the group follows, muttering their various comments towards the “puzzle”.

“That wasn’t really a puzzle… I mean, where was the logic behind it? It was more like a passcode, one that needs to be memorized.” Phoebe, for one, pointed out.

“Now, I have left some notes to show you which levers need to be pulled in order to continue onwards,” Toriel stated, gesturing to the wall on their left. “Let’s see if you can do them.”

Omar smirked, striding over towards the first one. “This is easy! Look, she even wrote a note on which to pull.”

Annie peered at the handwritten note. “It says: _please pull this lever._ ”

“What if it’s a trick?” Belle offered, crossing her arms. “Maybe it’s reverse-psychology.”

“No!” George argued, beaming. “She’s so nice to write us a note; she couldn’t be planning on tricking us!”  

“Again, not a puzzle,” was all Phoebe muttered under her breath.

George pulled the lever, and a clicking sound was heard.

“Very good!” Toriel praised, smiling at George, who in turn, blushed at the compliment. “Now, try the others! I’ll be waiting at the end.”

George, eager to receive praise again, rushed towards the next lever. Belle giggled, following after the boy.

As the other notes were read and the other levers were pulled, the spikes once jutting out at the end of the hallway disappeared into the ground. Toriel clapped her hands, pleased with the children’s progress. The group followed the goat into the next room, coming across what looked to be a strangely shaped dummy.

Omar pumped his fists, eager for the challenge. It reminded him of the several punching bags at his local gym. Sure he didn’t really have any gloves or wrap, but his hands have been twitching for a punch ever since he fell down here. “Hell yeah! This is a training dummy, isn’t it, Toriel? Can I punch it?”

“No, no!” the goat was quick to admonish, much to Omar’s disappointment. “Here, children, I want to teach you something. Walk up to the dummy, please.”

Obeying Toriel’s word, each stepped closer to the dummy. Suddenly, their whole world went black. Many stumbled back in surprise. The only thing that could be seen were Toriel, the dummy, and each other. Between the kids and the training dummy was a screen, much like a menu screen. It contained the words: **FIGHT** , **ACT** , **ITEM** , and **MERCY.**

“Those are the four actions you can choose from,” Toriel explained. “Now, look above your heads!”

The six looked up, finding a bar hovering over their heads. It was full.

“That is your **HP** bar. It determines the health of your SOUL. You must take care of it to prevent from it getting to zero.”

Phoebe gasped, realizing something. “Th-That’s what we felt! Our HP went down because Flowey attacked us with its pellets!”

Toriel nodded sadly. “Sometimes, monsters will attack you. That doesn’t mean all creatures wish to harm you; they may just be afraid or confused. To help them, use ACT. After ACTing, they may not want to harm you anymore. Try it out on the dummy!”

The kids looked around at each other, bewildered. It was a lot of information to process.

“I wonder if this is like a majoritarian process?” Phoebe pondered, walking up the the encounter screen.

“So uh, can I still punch it? There’s a FIGHT button,” Omar had a hand hovering in front of the FIGHT option.

“Toriel said not to FIGHT!” Belle quickly reprimanded, slapping Omar’s hand away.

“It’s not like it’s an actual _living_ creature,” Omar waved his hand carelessly. “I’m gonna do it.”

And with that, the eager boy pushed the FIGHT button. And waited. The others stood silently, waiting anxiously for the action to be carried out. Nothing happened.

“So it is like a democracy,” Yuri supplied. “Phoebe was right-- we must all push a button, and the majority will win.”

Belle cackled in triumph, pushing the ACT button. “No fighting for you!”

George, Yuri, Phoebe, and Annie also used ACT. This time, the action was carried out, and a new screen popped up. It gave them one choice: talk. So, they tried talking to the dummy. Unlike the other creatures in the Underground, it, for one, did not respond back. The main screen came back once again.

Omar snickered, “Dummies don’t talk, duh.”

Belle didn’t falter, this time reaching for the MERCY button. “Fine, then I’m using MERCY.”

Omar sighed, realizing his option would never win, and followed suit, along with the four others who also pressed MERCY. Once the button was pressed, the darkness melted back into the reality. Their buttons and HP bar vanished. The fight was over, and the dummy had been spared.

“Very good!” praised Toriel cheerfully. “On we go!”

The six, looking very pleased with themselves, followed closely after the goat. The children were led down a corridor and into a plain hallway. When they turned the corner, they had accidentally run into a frog-like creature.

George was the first to run into it. He gave a surprised yelp and jumped back. Suddenly, the world faded back into black, and the six children were left alone to deal with the creature.

“What _is_ that?” Belle wondered, frowning. “It looks like a frog!”

“Apparently, it’s named Froggit,” Phoebe pointed up to the main screen.

“Let’s just do the same thing as last time,” Annie spoke. “We should use MERCY.”

Everyone used MERCY, and pressed the spare button, but nothing happened. The fight wasn’t over. Instead, Froggit lept into the air, aiming for George.

“Look out!” Belle cried, tackling George to the side. The Froggit turned again and jumped at Annie, who stepped out of the way, using Omar as a shield.

“H-Hey!” Omar protested, also backing away. “Why isn’t the stupid MERCY thing working??”

“I think the frog needs to be ACTed,” Yuri answered, carefully making sure there was a ten foot distance between the creature and himself. Froggit stopped jumping, and the encounter screen came back on. The six humans pushed the ACT button. The screen changed, and it said to either **_insult_ ** **,** or **_compliment_ **.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m insulting this thing!” Omar grumped, pushing **_insult_ **. “How dare he attack us when we used MERCY!”

“Uh, what if insulting him makes him attack us even more? And besides, that isn’t very nice,” George argued, reaching for **_compliment_ **.

“You both have a point, but I am going with Omar’s decision,” Yuri decided, pushing the latter. However, Belle, Phoebe, and Annie all followed George’s decision. They decided to compliment the frog creature.

“Y-You look very nice today! Did you do something with your-- er, feet? It’s very slimy and webbed!” George gave Froggit a thumbs-up, smiling apprehensively.

Froggit tilted his head, but did not reply or move. But it did smile at George. It looked happy. Now, the children used MERCY. The **_spare_ ** option was now highlighted in yellow.

“Ah, now I suppose it’s time to spare,” Phoebe said, pushing it. The others did as well, the decision being autonomous. The battle ended, with the children winning. The group had received six coins for beating Froggit! The monster hopped away, croaking happily.

“Yooooo,” Omar grinned, “Annie, is this real gold?”

Annie shrugged. “Huh. Dunno, but looks like we all got one coin.”

“This isn’t actual gold,” Phoebe added helpfully.

“Who cares? This is some kind of currency, right? I’m gonna get me some food; I’m starving!” Belle flipped her coin in the air, catching it. “I can just taste it now-- fried chicken, sushi, tacos-- _TACOS._ Oh my god, I would kill for a taco right now.”

“You like tacos??” George asked enthusiastically.

“Heck yeah I do!”

George beamed. “I make great tacos! ...Or, I believe I do. If we can just get some ingredients, I would make some for you!!”

“Dude. I love you.” To which, George looked away, blushing furiously.

“Children, come along,” came Toriel’s voice. The six had forgotten the goat was still there, waiting patiently for them. “We’re almost to my house, and I have a special surprise waiting for you!”

“Surprise? Like Flowey’s death pellets?” Omar muttered to Annie, who glanced at Toriel. It was unclear if she had heard Omar or not, and if she did, she made no comment.

After several more purple brick walls, puzzles, Froggits, Whimsums, and other creatures later, the group had finally reached the end of the path, looking up at a purple house. The same, sparkling light greeted them. Belle, resuming her responsibility, held the light in their hand, and immediately, everyone’s HP had been restored.

“We’re here!” announced Toriel. “Please, come in!”

She opened the door, waving for the six reluctant children to come inside. The group was ushered in, and instantly, a delicious aroma greeted them.

“Food,” Belle breathed, her eyes lighting up in excitement. “ _Yes._ ”

Toriel beamed, ruffling Belle’s head. “Yes, my child, surprise! I have made you all butterscotch-cinnamon pie! I’m sorry I didn’t ask your preference earlier, but one of my other children had suggested it.”

“Other… child?” Annie frowned.

To everyone’s surprise, the goat-creature turned her head, calling for another. “Frisk, dear! We have guests!”

The six children watched as the bedroom door to their right opened quietly, and a small child appeared from behind the door. The child walked up to the group, but then stopped behind Toriel, clutching at the fabric of Toriel’s robe, hiding.

Toriel chuckled, giving the child a gentle push. “Come, don’t be shy! Look, they are humans, just like you!”

“Hello!” George greeted right away, bending down to Frisk’s height. “You’re a little cutie, aren’t you?”   

Frisk slowly came out from behind Toriel, a small smile on their face. Using her hand, she signed: H-E-L-L-O.

George blinked. “Oh! Is that sign language? Um, let’s see...”

“They says ‘hello’,” Phoebe translated, smiling at Frisk. “Ms. Toriel, are they--”

“Mute?” Toriel supplied. “Not completely. They speak now and then, but not often. I suppose you would call them selectively mute. They are perfectly comfortable with communicating through their hands, though.”

The six waved at Frisk, marveling at the other human. Many had questions in their mind. How long had they been staying with Toriel? Does this mean there are other humans in  the Underground? Did Frisk fall down the hole too?

“Oh no!” Toriel sniffed at the air and rushed to the kitchen area. “That’s my pie in the oven! Please, make yourselves comfortable at the dining table!”

Frisk started walking in the direction Toriel ran in, and the others followed. Surprisingly, for a home of two, there were enough seats at the table for all of them. They had to wonder if Toriel had this many people over before.

As they sat down, Toriel had come back with an enormous pie, hot and fresh. She laid down plates and forks. With a knife, she started to distribute the dish.

“Holy crap, this looks pretty good,” Omar remarked, accepting a plate.

“Butterscotch cinnamon? I have never tried this type of pie,” Yuri picked at it curiously.  It certainly looked delicious. The pie itself looked crisp and golden, with gooey filling oozing out onto his plate. Yuri cut a small piece from his slice and stuck it in his mouth.

“Holy crap,” he echoed, cutting another piece out.

Belle wasted no time marveling at the pie. She scarfed it down and eagerly held out her plate for seconds. George watched in amazement, internally screaming. Not only was she brave and beautiful, but Belle had an appetite too.

The others ate heartily, happy for the delicious food. Toriel couldn’t be like Flowey at all, they had thought, not after she had baked this pie for them.

“Now, I know I introduced myself and Frisk, but I realized I didn’t even ask for your names! Can we go around the table and share?” Toriel’s voice cut through the devouring of pie.

“Belle!”

“I’m George!”

“Mmf-- Omar.”

“My name’s Annie!”

“Hello, I am Yuri.”

“P-Phoebe.”

There were also many added comments and compliments on Toriel’s culinary skills. The goat smiled, delighted to have so many children love her pie. “I knew you’d like it. I was going to make snail pie, but Frisk tells me that you would appreciate this better. After this, we can go see your rooms!”

Annie and Omar turned to look at each other.

“We have rooms?” Annie asked.

“Are you all done? Frisk and I can show you,” Toriel smiled at Frisk, who nodded. “Follow us, my dears.”

The six children got up from their chair to follow the two back to the entrance, passing the main door, and into a hallway. There were three rooms to the left of them.

“Frisk’s room is the first one, mine is the second, and there is a room that we can open up, though I must say that it’s usually closed for renovations,” The goat explained. “I suppose two of you can share a room with Frisk, since they are small enough. We can make room in the third room, and someone can certainly choose to sleep in my room, if they wish.”

George smiled. “Wow, that’s really nice of you, Ms. Toriel!”

“Do we get to call dibs on our rooms?”  Belle asked earnestly. To which, Toriel chuckled and nodded. Belle grinned and ran over to the third room, slamming a hand on the door. “Yes! I call the third one!”

“Anyone else?” Toriel offered.

“B-Belle, can I share a room with you?” George asked meekly.

“Yeah, go for it!”

George had never been happier, as he trotted over to Belle’s side. The others distributed themselves nonchalantly. Omar and Annie chose Frisk’s room. That left Yuri and Phoebe.

Toriel smiled. “One of you can go with Belle and George. I think the other should stay with me.”

“I’ll stay with Belle and George,” Phoebe piped up, feeling more comfortable with the pair than the goat.

Toriel turned to Yuri. “I suppose that means you’ll be staying with me.”

Yuri, who really had no opinion on the room settlements, nodded, answering, “Okay.”

Toriel was delighted to have everything sorted out. “Now that that’s all settled, you may make yourselves comfortable in your rooms! I will be making dinner, don’t hesitate to come out and ask me any questions.”

“Awesome,” Belle said, opening the door, immediately ready to call dibs on a bed. George followed after with Phoebe. The walls were a cream color, much like the walls to the rest of the house. There was a king-sized bed on the right, big enough to fit all three of them. It looked cozy enough, and it wasn’t too squished.

“I can practice my dance routine in here!” Belle remarked happily, doing a pirouette to prove her point. George clapped, watching her in awe.

Phoebe went over to the small desk in front of the bed and switched on the lamp. She laid her notebook out and began to go over her various notes of the Ruins.

“I’ll be right back,” George said, turning to leave the room. “I’m going to ask Ms. Toriel something.”

* * *

 

“Oh. There’s only one bed.” Annie looked at the twin-sized bed, shoved to the right of the room, barely large enough to fit two people.

Frisk didn’t respond. They walked over to their closet, opening the bottom drawer, revealing a big, poofy comforter. They took it out and laid it across the floor, opposite to the bed. The small child then took some pillows from the drawer and laid them down. They stopped and looked at the two bewildered older children for a response.

“Well, I guess that’s one way to do it,” Annie replied. “I don’t care who goes where. Omar, where do you want to sleep?”

Omar stared at the makeshift bed on the floor, then gazed over to Frisk’s tiny bed, and then back at Annie. Grumbling out an incoherent response, he stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Annie sighed, turning to give Frisk an apologetic smile.

Frisk only tilted their head in confusion, shrugging. They thought it had been a pretty good bed. Much more space, too.

“I’ll be right back,” Annie assured Frisk, leaving the room as well. Once she had quietly closed the door behind her, she turned to face the sullen boy, slumped against the wall, hands shoved into pockets. She went to his side, leaning against the wall. Annie didn’t look at Omar, but instead, pressed the back of her head to the wall and closed her eyes.

And waited.

 

Five, tense seconds of silence went by.

 

And then another five.

 

And then another.

 

And it was almost thirty-seconds until the silence was broken. Omar sighed heavily, staring hard into the floorboards.

“Sorry, Annie.”

Annie’s mouth twitched, but she didn’t say anything. She waited for him to continue.

“I just-- I don’t know. I don’t want to stay here. I want to go _home_.”

Annie nodded, looking at Omar. “You’re homesick.”

Omar dipped his head slightly, reaffirming his friend’s statement. Annie laughed lightly, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Silly,” she poked his cheek with her free hand, smirking. “All you had to do was say so. I knew something was up-- you’re never this grumpy.”

In response, Omar puffed up his cheeks, glaring half-heartedly at Annie.

“We’re going home. Of course we are. But, I mean, we’re pretty tired, and honestly? Free food and rooms-- we can use this to our advantage.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Annie patted him twice on the shoulder and started walking back to Frisk’s room, letting Omar decide whether or not to join her. After a few more seconds of moping, Omar tore himself away from the wall and walked into the room.

* * *

 

George poked his head around the corner, taking in the full view of the kitchen. It was a cozy little kitchen, with just enough space for a person to cook in. He watched as Toriel bustled around the place, shoving trays of food into the oven and stirring pots on the stove, all the while merrily humming a cheerful tune.

He came up behind her gingerly, not wanting to disturb her. “E-Excuse me, Ms. Toriel..?”

Toriel glanced behind, beaming at the boy. “Hello, my child! Are you hungry? Dinner will be ready in an hour.”

“Oh, no,” George started, clearing his throat. “I just wanted to help you cook!”

Toriel blinked. “Help me cook?”

George twirled his two pointer fingers together nervously. “Yes, that is, if you need any help? Or I can also just go…”

“No, no!” Toriel waved a free hand, smiling brightly. “I could always use some help, thank you, dear.”

George grinned, instantly by Toriel’s side. He observed for a few more moments, finding out that Toriel was cooking a hearty beef stew on the stove. The stew contained cut-up beef, carrots, celery, onions, and several spices. The goat lifted her spoon up from the pot to taste it. She winced slightly, setting it down again, sighing.

“What is it, Ms. Toriel?” George asked, picking up the spoon to sample to stew.  

“It needs to be sweeter,” Toriel answered, “and I want the color to be browner.”

George snapped his fingers, a nonexistent light bulb lighting up over his head. “Oh! I have an idea-- do you have any sweetened cocoa powder?”

Toriel frowned, looking at the boy in confusion. “Why, yes, I do, but cocoa powder in the stew?”  

George nodded. “My mom and I use it all the time; it’s really good, trust me!”

“Alright,” she agreed, going to retrieve a can. She returned back with the powder and put in spoonfuls of it and stirred the mixture. She lifted the spoon out of the pot, sipping it. Her eyes widened in amazement. “Wow, it tastes better!”

“Family secret,” George winked, pleased to help. “I guess that makes you family, now.”

Toriel beamed, ruffling George’s hair. “It seems I have much to learn. One cook to another.”

* * *

 

“Ugh!” After falling for the umpteenth time, Belle clutched at her aching leg, groaning in frustration. “I don’t understand-- I can never get this part right!”

Phoebe looked up from her notebook, wordlessly watching the older girl pick herself up, dusting off her tutu. She had to wonder if that ever got uncomfortable on Belle. It looked so stiff and tight, and it doesn’t seem like you could sit or lay down with it on. The older girl tugged at her ballet shoes, pulling the laces tight, trying once again. She took several steps back, eyeing the floor, her face scrunched in concentration. Belle took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and sprinted softly to the spot. She lept into the air, did two turns, and tried to touch down with the tip of her toes, but failed. She stumbled to balance herself, her arms flailing around.

“Jeez,” she moaned, rubbing her face with both hands. “What am I doing wrong?”

“Can I see your shoes?” Phoebe offered quietly. Belle turned to look at the girl behind the chair. She nodded, unlacing her shoes. Phoebe walked over, kneeling down to take the shoes from Belle. She examined them, turning them around.

“I think,” she decided. “the shoes are loose on your feet, aren’t they?”

Belle shrugged. “A little, I guess. But I tie them really tight, so it doesn’t make a difference.”

“Well, if you look inside, there’s always going to be extra space because the soles of your feet aren’t large enough to fit this shoe, no matter how tight your laces are. B-But don’t worry, I have a solution.” Phoebe went back to her desk and started ripping out pages from her notebook, besides Brooke’s protests.

“Hey! Isn’t that from your notebook?”

Phoebe shook her head, going back over to Belle’s shoes with the several pieces of notebook paper. “Doesn’t matter.”

Phoebe takes one of the shoes and starts pushing the paper into the tip of it as Belle watched curiously. After both shoes were stuffed at the tip with crumpled notebook paper, Phoebe hands them back to the dancer with a small smile. “Try doing it now.”

Belle takes them, nodding with determination. She wears the ballet shoes, tying them up, and stood at her spot from before. She runs, jumps, twirls in the air, and lands successfully, the tip of her toes landing quietly on the wooden floor. Phoebe’s smile grows, and she claps quietly for her. Belle turned around and grinned widely, graciously accepting the applause. She takes a graceful bow and walked over to Phoebe.

“Thanks! You’re a lifesaver, Phoebs.”

Phoebe stared. Did Belle just call her… _Phoebs_? She hardly knew Belle, and Belle wasn’t her parents, either. But, for some reason, it felt nice that someone other than her parents called her by nickname. Instead of calling Belle out on it, she smiled, her cheeks slightly red.

“No problem.”

* * *

 

George was having a fantastic time cooking with goatmom. That’s what he dubbed her, anyway. During his time observing and doing, he had accidentally called her ‘Mom’, and it stuck. Besides, it made Toriel happy. And she really felt like George’s second mom. No one could compare to his actual mom, but Toriel would have made a close second. If he closed his eyes and imagined hard enough, George could actually see his mom and little George, in the kitchen, merrily cooking away. Cooking with goatmom brought back a kind of blissful nostalgia from his childhood. Needless to say, he was content staying here and cooking with Toriel. After all, it had been such a long time since he had another cook in the kitchen.

“So, tell me about Belle.” Toriel was busy mixing mashed potatoes in a bowl, while George tended to the chicken inside the oven. He nearly dropped his tongs, the sudden question throwing him off-guard.

“Wh-What?” George stuttered. He could already feel his face heating up.

Toriel noticed this and smiled to herself. “What do you like about her?”

“L-Like? She’s a friend, I dunno, what do you like in friends??”

Toriel came over to George, chuckling lightly. She gently took the tongs out of the boy’s fumbling hands, checking on the poultry herself. She tisked, realizing the chicken had brown on the backside. The goat turned the chicken over, and set the oven for twenty more minutes. Once it was done, she turned her gaze on George, waiting amusedly.

“I mean--” George coughed. “She’s nice, and she’s pretty, and she’s brave and bold and she LOVES food and--”

The flustered boy put both hands on his cheeks, shaking his head. “Oh, jeez, it’s really obvious, huh?”

Toriel laughed at George’s reaction. “Oh, dear,” she said kindly, “if you really like her, you should tell her!”

George’s jaw dropped. “Wh-What? No! That’s too much-- she won’t--she wouldn’t be interested in a guy like me!”

“And why not?”

“Because! I’m just _me_.”

Toriel frowned. Not replying, she crossed the kitchen, heading towards a mounted coat rack on the wall. On there, was an apron. It looked like it had never been used; it was an unstained, white apron with no wrinkles or tears. She took it off the rack and went back to George. In one motion, she hung it around the boy’s neck, fitting him quite nicely.

George touched the apron, looking down at it questioningly. “An apron?”

“You’re a cook,” Toriel answered smoothly, going behind him to tie the strings up. “Aren’t you?”

“I guess?”

“You’re a cook.” Toriel asserted firmly. “But you’re not just a cook. You’re a kind-hearted, passionate, caring child. You love to learn new things. You’re curious and you’re brave. You’re _George_ , and I believe you are the only George who’s exactly like you.”

George looked at the floor, thinking about this. He then looked up at goatmom, grinning. “Yeah, I am, aren’t I?”

Toriel beamed, and gave George an affectionate hug, much to his surprise. “ _You_ are not an _insult_ . You are something _special_ , and don’t let anyone, especially yourself, say differently.”

George returned the hug wholeheartedly. “Thanks, mom.”

* * *

 

“Okay, so you’re telling me you don’t know how long it’s been since you’ve fallen down?”

“Omar, they’re only five years old.”

“Please. When I was five, I knew a bunch of things!”

“ _Please_. When you were five, I remember you were just starting to pronounce your own name right.”

Frisk silently watched the bickering exchange between the two, a little confused as to why they even argued. They just hoped this was an occasional kind of thing, or else they wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. Omar and Annie had been asking Frisk several questions for the past hour. How did they find Toriel? That was the other way around; Toriel happened upon Frisk. Were they from the Underground? No, that Frisk knew, they fell, like the other children. How long have they stayed here. That, Frisk didn’t know. They didn’t care to know, either. They were content with living with Toriel, her mom, and they constantly asserted that they were happy with Toriel and staying here. Why were such things like age and date important?

“Look, kid,” Once their argument died down, Omar leaned in closer towards Frisk. “I’m not happy staying here. No offense, Toriel’s a nice woman, but I wanna go back to the Surface. All we’re saying is that you could come with us.”

Frisk shook their head, frowning deeply. In a flurry of hand motions, she wrote out something short and rushed.

Annie nodded, acknowledging Frisk’s answer. She spread her hands, smiling gently. “You fell down here, right? Don’t you want to go back? Didn’t you have a life back on the Surface? Any parents, or relatives?”

Frisk didn’t want to answer anymore questions. They crossed their arms and refused to look at the two. Didn’t they understand? The five-year-old gave them the answers they wanted, and their five-year-old attention span didn’t want anymore of their time. And the words they were saying scared them. Leave Toriel? Their mother? Leave the Ruins? Their home? It sounded like a terrible idea. They had made up their mind, and the answer was no. They buried their head into the neck hole of their baggy striped sweater and plopped down on the floor.

Omar started to say something, but Annie stopped him, turning to whisper something in his ear. Finally, the two elder children turned their attention away from Frisk, discussing only in hushed whispers.

Frisk turned their head around, eying the pair warily. Truthfully, they _had_ wondered what was beyond the Ruins. Could they go back, back to where they came from? But, at the same time, leaving would mean leaving Toriel. Frisk couldn’t do that. Mom would be so lonely.

“How do we get out of the Ruins, anyway?” Omar and Annie were sitting on top of the makeshift bed, their backs towards Frisk.

“I don’t know. The end of the Ruins leads to Toriel’s house. There’s no other way. We’ll have to ask Toriel how to leave.”

Omar nodded. “Okay. When are we doing that? Can we ask now?”

“Wait, we have to get the others as well.” Annie lowered her voice, stealing a glance at the holed-up five-year old. “And Frisk, if we can.”

Frisk got up, quietly exiting the room, without anyone noticing. Walking across the hallway, Frisk reaches the third door and knocks, waiting. They open the door to find Belle and Phoebe sitting across from each other, chatting away. Belle smiled at Frisk.

“Hey, Frisk! What’s up?”

Frisk waved in return, but focused her attention on the other girl. They began signing with their hands: _Need to talk._

Phoebe frowns, but nods. Phoebe signs back: _what is it?_

Belle looked back and forth between the nonverbal exchange, looking confused. “Huh? What’re they saying, Phoebs?”

Phoebe looked back at Belle, just remembering that she was also there. “Oh. All Frisk said was that she wanted to talk. I’ll translate for you.”

Phoebe looked back to Frisk, who began signing again.

_It’s about Omar and Annie. They want to leave the Ruins._

Phoebe frowned. This was obvious. They all had planned to leave before they had met Toriel-- didn’t Frisk know that?

_Yes, we all wish to return to the Surface._

_Only Toriel knows the way out of the Ruins._

_Then we’ll ask her._

_But you can’t._

“Frisk, we like you and Toriel and everything, but we want to go back,” Belle cut in, having understood once Phoebe translated.

The five-year-old shook their head. _No, I mean Toriel won’t let you._

Belle and Phoebe exchanged apprehensive looks.

_What do you mean, she won’t let us?_

_I’ve tried asking her how to get out of the Ruins, but every time, she tells me to do something else. Go read a book, go play with the Whimsums, play outside by the tree. It’s as if--_

_She doesn’t want you to leave._

Frisk nodded. Phoebe frowned. This was a new scenario; if Toriel refused to let them leave, how could they? She wondered if this would become another fight.

“But we have to!” Belle argued. “We’ll make her. Uh, I mean, not by force, but like, assertively? Maybe?”

Frisk looked at the two. The pair seemed really determined to get home. And if they had to be honest with herself, Frisk hated to admit it, but they wanted to leave too. They would never think of leaving Toriel, but there was a world out there beyond the Ruins. And maybe, if they traveled far enough, they’ll get to go home. And really, the Ruins was getting boring. They had read all of Toriel’s books. They had ran around the giant tree countless times. All the monsters they encountered know them by name. Luckily, it hadn’t gotten to the point where Toriel made snail pie for them, but the goat had hinted towards it, and they wouldn’t want to stick around when that happens. Maybe this was their chance. To escape with the others.

_Okay._

Phoebe blinked, looking at Frisk. _Okay?_

_I’m coming with you all. Let’s ask her after dinner._

Belle grinned, pumping her fist. “Yeah! Frisk has joined our party!”

* * *

 

“Whoa, I just noticed something?!” George was gawking at the fire. Something about it seemed off about it before, but once he was standing right next to it, he could definitely tell. At first glance, it looked like a normal stovetop fire. But, if one stared at it long enough, it had this quality to it that was definitely not normal. The fire, for one, seemed to change shades of color. Sometimes, it was blue. Then, when looking back at it again, it ranged from yellow, to orange, to red. The fire also had distinctive sparkle about it. Not the usual sparks of a starting fire, but looked more twinkling and dazzling.

Toriel, who was bustling around the kitchen, stopped and looked at George. “Oh? What is it?”

George pointed to the fire. “I don’t know how to say this, but… that doesn’t look like a normal stovetop fire.”

Goatmom laughed. “That’s because it isn’t, my child. I use fire magic; it’s very efficient and it doesn’t burn to the touch.”

George bent down, marveling at the sparkling, golden flames. He guessed it wasn’t too hard to wrap his head around. Afterall, he had seen a talking flower, goat, and a bunch of weird-looking monsters. Why not throw magic into the mix too? “Wow, that’s amazing! Is that something that can be taught?”

Toriel whisked the fire away with a wave of her hand. She smiled, patting George’s shoulder. “Everyone has magic in them. So, yes, it’s teachable. But that’s for a later time-- now, it’s time to eat!”

“Awesome!” George, in all this excitement, had forgotten how hungry he was. “I can set the table.”

Toriel smiled. “You’re such a sweet child. I’ll go call the others.”

She left George to the preparation and headed towards the three bedrooms. She stopped at the first one and knocked. She then opened the door a crack to peek inside.

“Hello? My children, it’s time for dinner,” Toriel, not wanting to intrude, announced in a hushed tone.

Omar and Annie looked up from their makeshift bed.

“Okay,” Annie smiled, getting up. “Do you need help with anything?”

“No, no,” Toriel assured. “George has been a dear and helped me so much already. Just join us at the table when you are both ready.”

She closed the door and went to the next room, her room, where Yuri stayed. Toriel opened the door and went inside. “Yuri, my child, are you alright staying in my room?”

Yuri was busy making a bed on the floor, unknowingly similar to the makeshift bed on Frisk’s floor. He looked up, nodding. “I am good, thank you.”

“Oh dear, you do not need to sleep on the floor! It’s so hard on your back. You can sleep in my bed, and I can sleep in my rocking chair.”

Yuri shook his head, frowning. “Ms. Toriel, that’s not necessary. You have done so much for us. The least I can do is let you sleep in your own bed.”

Toriel sighed, smiling. “Alright, only if you’re fine with it. Also, dinner's ready! Come out when you’re ready.”

The goat left to the third room, knocking and opening the door. It turns out, Frisk was with other two, Belle and Phoebe. They were quietly whispering, but abruptly stopped once they heard the click of the door. All three heads turned to stare at Toriel standing in the doorway.

“H-Hi, Ms. Toriel,” Belle was the first to speak, cutting through the somber atmosphere.

“Hello, dears,” Toriel frowned slightly, instantly sensing something was off. “It’s time for dinner. I hope you all have an appetite.”

Frisk jumped off the bed and walked briskly to the dining room, only stopping to give the goat an affectionate pat, to which Toriel chuckled, wondering what that was about.

“Starving!” Belle cried a little too earnestly, jumping off the bed as well to run after Frisk. “Come on, Phoebs!”

“C-Coming,” Phoebe tucked her notebook under her arm and pushed her glasses up her nose. She hurried after the two, trying not to look at Toriel.

* * *

 

“Guys, we got a plan to get the heck outta here,” Belle hissed, taking her place at the table by Omar and Annie. “Frisk is coming along, too!”

“What? You got Frisk to come?” Omar looked at Belle ridiculously, while Annie beamed at the small five-year old.

“That’s great!” Annie gushed. “What’s your plan?”

“We’re gonna ask Toriel after dinner.”

“WHAT?!” The five and Frisk found George, who dropped the bowl of mashed potatoes onto the table with a loud _thump_.

“Shh! George, great timing, so we’re going to leave after dinner.”

“L-Leave? Why??” George looked devastated and utterly confused.

“Because that was our plan from the start? To get out of the Underground?” Omar supplied, raising his eyebrows.

“But I like it _here_! I like the Ruins and I like goatmom! Let’s just stay, please? For at least a day. No, a week!”

Omar snorted. “ _Goatmom?_ ”

Belle gaped up at George. “George, you can’t be serious. We like Toriel, but we gotta go! We have a life up there-- and I have a performance to get to!”

George shook his head, getting frustrated. “ _You_ can leave. _I_ don’t want to go anywhere. I’m staying.”

“Aw, George, c’mon…”

George abruptly turned and left with a huff, ignoring Belle. Belle turned to look at the others, as if to say: _what’s with him_?

Annie smiled. “He got attached to Toriel. We shouldn’t force him to leave.”

Belle sighed, resting a hand on her cheek. “I guess so…it just feels wrong to leave him behind.”

“Leave him,” Omar waved a hand, “if he wants to stay with _goatmom_ , that’s not our problem.”

Belle opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly interrupted by Toriel, carrying platters of food to the table-- George was close behind, also holding food. He refused to look at them; apparently, he was still upset about the whole ordeal. Unloading the dishes onto the table, the other five children stared desiringly for the food. There was roasted chicken, beef stew, salad, mashed potatoes, and--

“TACOS!” Belle cried happily, already reaching out to grab a few.

Toriel laughed. “George told me you liked them, so we made sure to make some for you.”

George, who took a place between Toriel and Belle, blushed deeply as Belle gave him a one-arm hug, while chomping away on the tacos. “George, I love you. But probably not as much as I love your tacos.”

George brightened up at the compliment, laughing weakly. “I’m glad you like them!”

“Oh, are those snails?” Annie gave the dish an apprehensive look. Toriel mentioned that she liked making snail pie. Did goats eat snails? She has never thought about this before.

“Escargot, I presume,” Phoebe answered.  

Toriel beamed, proceeding to fill her plate with the dish. “Yes, I made a special snail dish if anyone would like to try. Snails are quite the delicacy.”

Everyone started to dig in. All dishes were unloaded onto the children’s plates-- all except the escargot. To be nice, George had tried some, though he was reluctant to take any. Phoebe took some because she had tried escargot before, and honestly, it wasn’t that bad. She didn’t understand what the others were so worried about.

And so, after many muffled _thank you’s_ and several scarfed-down food later, the six children were stuffed. Omar patted his stomach, letting out a small burp.

“Thanks, Toriel, that was some good grub,” Omar complimented.

Toriel smiled. “Thank you, dear. I’m just so glad all of you are here. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to cook for others. Even Frisk, they’ve only been here for the last couple of days.”

To which, Frisk looked down, picking at her food.

“Speaking of which, tomorrow, I have a full day planned for us!” Toriel continued, clapping her hands. “You will all have so much fun here in the Ruins! I promise; everyone here is welcomed and treasured. I am so grateful that I found you, my children.”

To which, everyone paled and suddenly looked very guilty. Even Omar glanced away, giving a hasty cough. All but George, who shot accusatory glares at the others, but then turned to Toriel and gave her a hug.

“We’re so glad that we met you too!” George smiled.

Toriel ruffled the boy’s hair, then stood up. “Alright, is everyone done? I’ll take your plates and start cleaning up.”

“Oh, please, Ms. Toriel, we’ll do it!” Belle jumped up at once, taco crumbs dribbling out of her mouth.

“Yes,” Annie agreed, also standing up. “It’s the least we can do.”

“You’re all such dears,” Toriel beamed. “Well, if you can handle it. I’ll be sitting on my rocking chair, then!”

With that, the goat excused herself while the others got to work washing the dishes and cleaning away the table. Dutifully, the children assigned each other cleaning jobs. Frisk and Phoebe were to clear the leftovers and wipe the table. Yuri and Belle were to mop and dust the floors of any messes. Omar was to wash the dishes in the sink, while Annie wiped them dry, and George put them away. All the children worked silently and efficiently, thinking of the events that would follow this.

“You’re really leaving, aren’t you?” George said after a while.

“And you’re really staying?” Annie asked back, the two of them not looking at each other.

George put a plate away, then stopped. He stared at the floor glumly. “I-- I don’t know anymore.”

“Huh? You’re coming with us now?” Omar cut in, now looking up at the other boy.

George gave a half-hearted shrug. “I’ve been thinking about it over dinner. To be honest, there’s nothing for me here. Toriel is really nice and I really like her, but if you all are leaving-- I don’t want to be the only one left here.”

Annie listened, expressionless, while Omar grinned. “You should come with us. Don’t worry-- you’ll survive without _goatmom_.”

George gave Omar a quick glare, but returned back to stacking plates in the cabinet. Suddenly, he felt arms wrap around his waist. George looked around to find Belle grinning at him.

“I’m so glad you’re coming with us!” Belle cried, but clapped her mouth instantly, remembering Toriel was just in the other room. “I knew you’d come around!”

“Are we asking her right now?” Yuri appeared in the doorway with Phoebe and Frisk. The seven children looked at each other grimly. A decision was made. Silently, they headed out of the kitchen and to the fireplace, where Toriel sat. When she sensed the children approaching her, she looked up from her snail fact book, peering over her reading glasses. The goat smiled, happy to have all of her children keeping her company.

“Hello, my dears,” she welcomed, reopening the book to her page. “thank you again for cleaning the place up. Would you like to hear a snail fact?”

“I--” Belle started. “Wait a minute. You’re reading a book about _snails?_ ”

“It is called, ‘72 Uses for Snails’. It’s actually quite interesting!”

“What’s a snail fact?” Phoebe asked, partially intrigued.

“Well, did you know,” Toriel paused for effect, glancing at her page and then back up at the waiting group. “snails make terrible shoelaces?”

To which, the children grinned humorously, while Phoebe frowned, confused. That didn’t sound like a fact to her at all! Yuri, like Phoebe, was also confused. Snails and shoelaces? He failed to see the correlation between them.

Toriel chuckled, “Would you like to hear another snail fact?”

“Actually,” Omar cut in. “We want to know how to leave the Ruins.”

One could feel the sudden tension in the air, weighing heavily upon the group. Toriel did not look at Omar, or the others-- instead, she kept her gaze on the book. Quietly, she asked,

“Why don’t you all go play in the garden? It’s rather nice out.”

“No, we want to go home. How do we get out of here?”

Stiffly, Toriel snapped her book shut and stood up, her eyes focused on the floor. “Excuse me,” she stated rather matter-of-factly, “there is something I need to do.”

With that, she placed her book on her chair and walked swiftly away from the children. The group exchanged worried looks, wondering what was about to happen. It was Frisk that started in Toriel’s direction. They looked back, gesturing for the others to follow. The group hurried to keep Toriel in sight, and they found her walking down the stairs. They had realized they had never ventured downstairs before.

 _Everytime I come down here, Toriel makes me go back upstairs._ Frisk informed, while Phoebe translated. The others hesitated to walk downstairs. What was it that Toriel was hiding?

“No turning back now,” Belle announced. Cautiously, she stepped downstairs, followed by the others. The seven walked down a dim hallway until Toriel was visible once again. Toriel stopped, apparently noticing the children behind her, but did not turn around.

“You should all go back right now,” Toriel commanded, then walked forward more. The others looked at each other questioningly. Wordlessly, they kept following the goat into the darker yet darker corridor.

“I am going to destroy the gate,” Toriel explained, still not looking back at them. “Then you all shall be safe. You will not be able to escape.”

Omar clenched his fists. “Destroy it? No! We can’t let her!”

Again, Toriel stopped after several steps. When she spoke again, the goat seemed heartbroken. “This is your last warning. Go to your rooms, _now_.”

George gulped, taking a step back. But still, everyone pressed on-- they had gotten so far, and like Belle said, there was no turning back. The seven were determined to get out of here. The corridor sharply turned into another long hallway. After finally reaching the end, the children came across Toriel, standing in front of a large door. Instantly, everyone knew that that must be the exit. The only obstacle was goatmom, guarding the pathway. Her hands were clenched tightly, stiffly hung at her sides. She eyed the children sadly, shaking her head.

“I gave you several chances,” Toriel spoke softly. “But if you are so determined to leave, then prove to me. Prove to me that you are strong enough!”

And with that, their world flickered to black.

* * *

 

The seven children stood in the room, what was now their battlefield, against the goat monster. Again, the familiar actions appeared: **FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, MERCY**.

“D-Don’t fight her!” George was quick to admonish, right away reaching for the mercy button. The others followed suit, agreeing that fighting goatmom is the last thing they should do.

“Oh no, it’s not yellow,” Phoebe looked at the menu screen desperately. “I think we have to ACT!”

This time, they chose ACT. They had two options: check and talk. The children tried talking to Toriel.

“Ms. Toriel, please! We don’t want to fight you; just let us go!” Annie pleaded. They waited, but nothing happened. Toriel seemed to be ignoring Annie’s words. The children watched in horror as the goat’s hands were set ablaze, with what seemed to be balls of fire. Toriel proceeded to throw the balls of fire at the children, all the while looking miserable as she did it.

Screaming and shouting ensued, as the group tried to dodge out of the way from the volley of attacks. Everyone seemed successful but George. He was hit with a flame ball, and tried to get up, but was hit once again, knocking him to the ground. Belle rushed over to him at once, helping him to his feet. The fire dissipated, and it was the children’s turn once again.

“This is crazy!” Omar yelped, patting his slightly-singed hair. “The goat’s a _firebender_??”

George groaned. “Ms. Toriel said she had magic, but she also told me that the fire wouldn’t burn anyone!”

Belle gasped, pointing at the floating bar above her friend’s head. “George-- your HP! It’s half empty!”

Omar gritted his teeth. “That’s it-- we’ve got to fight. We have to end this.”

“N-No, I’m fine, really!” George wrung his hands desperately. “Don’t FIGHT her! Let’s just use MERCY!”

The seven chose to spare Toriel, but to no avail. Toriel averted her gaze, saying sadly: “If you won’t fight-- leave!”

Again, balls of fire were summoned and thrown at the group. Frisk displayed rather remarkable dodging skills, while everyone else ran zig-zag for cover. Luckily, no one’s HP bar was zero. However, George and a few others were hit once.

“MERCY didn’t work!” Phoebe coughed, having fallen by taking a hit.

“Let’s just FIGHT once!”

“Maybe we should try MERCY and wait?”

“Let’s run away! I don’t want to do this anymore!”

A dispute erupted from the children, as they grew more wary of Toriel and her powerful attacks. None of them wanted to die here! They needed to end this battle quickly, but they had no idea how.

“She said to show her how strong we are!” Omar argued. “We’ll only hit her once, and it’ll be a light tap; she’ll barely feel it!”

“But did you see how she faltered after we spared her?” Annie spread her hands. “We should try sparing.”

“Faltered? She still attacked! We have other options. Let’s FIGHT.”

The two opposing sides reached for the opposite ends of the menu board. Omar went with FIGHT, as did Phoebe, Yuri, and Belle. Annie, Frisk, and George voted MERCY. The decision was 4-3. The screen obeyed Omar, and he walked warily up to Toriel, his hands balling into fists.

“Sorry, mom,” Omar hissed, as he took a careful swing. Omar punched Toriel, making sure it was as light as he could make it. Toriel didn’t look at Omar, nor did she dodge it. Suddenly, after the punch landed on her side, the goat fell to the ground, clutching her stomach.

Toriel coughed, then laughed weakly. “Oh my, you _are_ strong enough.”

Omar froze, staring at her. “T-Toriel?”

She finally looked up at her fighter, smiling reassuringly. “That gives me comfort. You’ll fare just fine against the other monsters. Protect them, won’t you, my boy?”

And with that, the seven could only watch in horror as their beloved goatmom turned into dust, falling neatly into a pile. Omar fell to his knees, clutching his head in distress.

“I--I didn’t!” he stammered, still in shock. “It was only a light tap! She can’t really be--”

“MOM!” George screamed, scrambling over to Toriel’s dusty remains. Tears spilled from his eyes as he desperately attempted to scoop the dust into his arms. “N-No! You can’t be dead, please, you can’t!”

Some of the dust coated George’s apron, and he clutched at it, now crying softly. Omar stood over George’s huddled position, unable to react. The others seemed frozen in place, their eyes wet and their skin pale and clammy. Toriel was dead. And it was all their fault.

“She isn’t dead! She CAN’T be dead! SHE CAN’T!” George cried harshly, his hands still gripping tightly at the apron’s fabric. His hands clutched at the bunch of fabric even tighter, closing his eyes. “I won’t let it…”

  


The wind rustled through the children’s hair, the brisk air leaving the group begging for a warm shelter. They were standing in the front of Toriel’s home, the sparkling light just left to Belle.

“Come inside, my children!” A voice called, and the disoriented group turned to find Toriel, waiting by the open door.

* * *

 

The children couldn’t believe their eyes. There Toriel stood, smiling brightly, without a speck of dust on her. Was it all a dream? No, it couldn’t have been, for their tears were fresh on their eyes, and their scratches and burns were raw and red.

George didn’t waste any time. He bounded up the stairs and gave the startled goat a big hug, wordlessly burying his face into her robes.

“Oh dear,” Toriel spoke after a few seconds, patting the boy soothingly on the back, “it’s alright. You’ll be safe here.”

The others walked towards goatmom in bewilderment, as if seeing a ghost. Following George’s lead, everyone gathered around Toriel for a group hug. They were so glad to have her back, yet they were so confused as to how the goat was resurrected. And they were quite afraid, as well. Toriel must know that they had defeated her-- wouldn’t she be mad? Yet here the kind creature was, welcoming her killers with open arms into her own home.

Toriel blinked, stunned by the sudden affection. Nevertheless, delighted to receive so much hugs, she couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh, my! Come in, children! There’s plenty of time to do hugs inside. I have a surprise for you!”

Annie stared at the goat, now going inside. “I don’t understand… how is she--”

“She’s alive. But I _killed_ her,” Omar breathed, staring at his hands.

“She acts as if this is the first time we met,” Yuri observed, frowning.

“Don’t you know?” the children went silent, as Phoebe started translating. “You went back to your last save point. You went back in time to when you first arrived here. Toriel doesn’t know anything.”

“That’s what the sparkling light is??” Belle gaped, pointing at the twinkling light. Frisk nodded grimly.

“What?! Does that mean we have to do e _verything_ all over again?”

“Who cares!” George snapped, glowering at Omar. “At least goat mom's still alive!”

“Okay, so she’s alive,” Annie considered this. “But we don’t want to do everything again. This time, we’ll ask to leave right away.”

“She will fight us again,” Phoebe added quietly.

“Then we aren’t fighting back! We’ll keep sparing!” George was sure of this. This “save point” felt like a second chance. This time, he’ll make the right choices. He definitely would.

“Yeah, that’s good and all, but guys?” Belle was in the house, taking a long whiff, nose in the air. She grinned. “Butterscotch-cinnamon pie.”

The others hurried into the house, and once again, a nostalgic scent filled them with content and warmth. Toriel was baking that one pie, that no one could ever hate. It was indeed her specialty. No one could resist even a slice of her butterscotch-cinnamon pie.

“I definitely need a slice before we go,” Omar decided. The others were quick to agree, rushing to the dining table, eager for a slice of pie. Right on cue, Toriel entered the room, carrying two whole pies. She smiled, placing it down before their greedy eyes.

“Now, everyone is welcome to have seconds. Please take your time and eat! Frisk had told me this was a human’s favorite flavor; I hope you enjoy it.”

Once the slices were handed out, everyone dug in happily. The gooey, sweet filling warmed their hearts, and the flaky, browned crust was crispy and light. Needless to say, this was Toriel’s cooking at its finest.

Belle sighed contently, a blissful look on her face. “Nothing better than a slice of goatmom’s pie.”

“Too bad we can’t take some for later,” Omar agreed, helping himself to another slice.

Frisk patted the table lightly to get everyone’s attention. They pointed to the pie and started signing.

“I’ve got a backpack,” Phoebe translated. “I can pack some slices.”

Omar grinned. “Nice. Pie for the road.”

Once everyone had finished, they cleaned up their dishes dutifully, while Frisk brought out their giant, red backpack. It seemed too big for someone so little to carry, but miraculously, the five-year-old managed without any help. They placed it on the table, and proceeded to put seven slices of pie in the bag, with the help of Annie.

“Aw, can’t we stay just one day?” George pouted, staring at the backpack.

“Come on, lover boy, we gotta go!” Omar pulled him away from his spot, followed by the others, marching to where Toriel sat.

Toriel looked up from her book once again, smiling down at the seven gathered. “Are you all ready to see your rooms?”

George opened his mouth, but Omar cut him short. “Actually, Toriel, do you know how to exit the Ruins?”

There was a heavy silence. After a few tense moments, Goatmom sighed and closed her books. Getting up from her chair, she left her book on the seat. “Excuse me, I have something to do.”

As the children watched her walk away, Belle whispered in amazement, “Wow, she said the exact same thing last time!”

The same process went about as the group followed Toriel downstairs.

“You should all go back right now.”

“I am going to destroy the gate; you will not be able to escape.”

“This is your last warning. Go to your rooms, _now_.”

The children had heard the same words once before. What little reluctance to continue on in the past has vanished-- they knew what they were up against. The group found the same corridor, sharply turning into another long hallway. Reaching the end, the children came across Toriel, guarding the exit. She was in the exact same position as she was before. Her hands were clenched tightly, stiffly hung at her sides. She eyed the children sadly, shaking her head.

“I gave you several chances,” Toriel spoke softly. “But if you are so determined to leave, then prove to me. Prove to me that you are strong enough!”

Right on cue, their world flickered to black.

* * *

 

“Okay, no FIGHTing!” George was sure to remind everyone straightaway.

“Can we talk her down?” Annie wondered, pushing the ACT button.

“Does she know what we killed her once?” Yuri asked. “Let’s ask her if she remembers.”

“...But that’s creepy,” Omar added quietly, looking away guiltily.

“I think we have to just keep sparing!” George announced firmly, putting his hands on his hips. The others, seeing that there was no better option, agreed wholeheartedly. Everyone reached for the spare button with determination. Once they chose to spare, Toriel’s stoic expression melted into a face full of worry.

“Fight me or leave!” she rumbled in a wavering voice, summoning her balls of flame. The children readied themselves, ready to jump out of the way. This time, their dodging skills had improved quite substantially, and none of them got hurt.

Amazed at their evading skills, their spirits were lifted as all of them readily pressed MERCY once again. Toriel had a dejected look on her face, as she cast the flames once again, launching the same attack. Over and over this process went, the children sparing, the mother attacking, until suddenly, the attacks came to a halt. Slowly, their world looked colorful again, the battle stage disappearing.

“Why?” Toriel asked despondently. “Why are you doing this…?”

The children waited with bated breath, wondering if all their hard work had finally come to an end.

“Please, just stay,” the goat tried again desperately, wringing her hands and attempting to smile. “We’ll have a good life here. We can be a _family_.”

It broke the children’s hearts to hear their favorite goatmom sound so wistful. They averted their gaze, staring at the floor. Their minds were set on moving on, but they never wanted to leave Toriel all alone.

“Come with us, mom!” George pleaded, stepping forward.

Toriel sighed, shaking her head. “No, my home is here. I suppose that means… you all have a home somewhere else, and I understand that you want to get back. Just… promise me. Promise me that you’ll take care of yourselves.”

Goatmom knelt down and opened her arms. Without hesitation, everyone surged forward to give Toriel a hug. Many murmured reassurances, comforting the heartbroken goat. After a long, heartwarming silence, the group unlatched themselves from Toriel. She smiled wanly, giving motherly pats all around.

“George? Where’s George?” Toriel asked, looking around at the group.

“Here!” Said a head in the crowd, and the children made space, revealing the sadly smiling boy. “What is it, Mom?”

“I don’t know how, but in the short time that we knew each other, I feel as if we are friends already,” Toriel smiled gently, giving George’s apron a light touch.

“We are, Mom!” George beamed. “We’re family!”

Toriel laughed, giving the boy a squeeze. “Oh-- I’m so happy to hear that. Please, take care of them.”

George returned the hug, holding onto her tight. “I will. I promise. Thanks for everything, Mom.”

Then, they released, and the children departed ways. Each gave her an individual hug, much to her satisfaction. When it came to Frisk, she ruffled the child’s hair, beaming at them.

“You’re the smartest little child I’ve ever met. You’ll keep them out of trouble, won’t you?”

Frisk nodded, hugging Toriel’s leg, letting out a muffled _love you_. To which made the mother the happiest of all. With their goodbyes said, the children opened the door, ready to face what was ahead. The door creaked opened slowly, revealing a long, purple pathway. The group looked back at their goatmom, patiently waiting with folded hands.

Her face now looked solemn. “And something else, my children. Whatever you do, do not let ASGORE take your souls.”

The children eyed her apprehensively. Take their souls? That sounded horrifying. The realization that there were creatures out to kill them formed an unpleasant feeling in their gut. It was an uneasy though, thinking of how many battles they had ahead of them. Already tired out from Toriel’s magic, they knew they wouldn’t be able to dodge forever. Overcoming the Ruins were the least of their troubles, for it was only the beginning.

“This is it,” Annie whispered, glancing at Omar. She gripped Omar’s hand, squeezing it lightly.

“Let’s do this,” Omar agreed, slowly exhaling.

The group started forward, walking away from the door. George looked back, and with a sickening feeling, he realized his goatmom had left. The door was closed. There was no turning back. The group had reached another door, but even bigger than the other. Using all their might, they pushed it open, and it gave with a groan.

The sudden light that leaked through the cracks of the giant door blinded the children, for it was so bright. The door fully opened, giving the seven a view of a snowy forest, dead and silent. The children stared at the change of scenery, their breath now visible in the crisp, winter air. They were definitely not in the Ruins anymore.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :UUU 
> 
> Buttload of text this time- 
> 
> Comments are appreciated! Please let me know how I can improve in my writing!!


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